General Dynamics European Land Systems-Bridge Systems (GDELS), a global leader in the defense industry, is located in the heart of Kaiserslautern. The company is part of the Reston, Virginia-based General Dynamics Corporation. The European headquarters of the group is located in Madrid, Spain. The operation in Kaiserslautern was founded in 1864 as Eisenwerk Kaiserslautern (EWK) and was integrated into General Dynamics in 2002 and has been operating under a new name ever since.

As part of the Leadership Connect program, we were able to visit the long-established company together with USAFE managers and discuss topics such as overcoming the coronavirus crisis and employee retention and recruitment. The meeting promised to be an exciting exchange, especially in light of the fact that the joint activities in the defense sector allowed the participants to identify some similarities as well as differences.

Frank Schweitzer, Senior Manager International Business & Services and responsible for overseas sales of bridge systems, welcomed the participants with an overview of GDELS' product range, which extends from protected wheeled and tracked vehicles to amphibious bridge and ferry systems. The experience gained from its 160-year history has made GDELS a global leader in the field of mobile bridge systems and a highly specialized expert in the welding assembly of large-volume aluminum structures. The M3 Amphibian, for example, is currently the most modern and most efficient amphibious bridge and ferry system in the world. The company has established a leading role in the development and manufacture of mobile floating and dry-gap bridges through continuous further development and the use of state-of-the-art production technologies. Customers come from all over the world, but mainly from NATO countries that use GDELS products for military purposes and in the field of emergency and disaster control.

Sarah Vollmer (GDELS HR) and Christian Jacob (Head of Quality Management) gave an insight into the management methods used by GDELS to overcome the coronavirus crisis, which was particularly challenging in view of the fact that GDELS is a globally operating manufacturing company in the defense industry and personal customer contact and information exchange is of great importance. It was also interesting to learn that the GDELS Managing Director has a professional medical background and was therefore often able to anticipate government measures and act with foresight.
In fact, production never had to be shut down, avoiding interruptions in the production process and preventing delays in order fulfillment and delivery.
Ultimately, GDELS came through the crisis well and was able to gain positive insights for the future: Open communication and information for employees are essential for the working atmosphere. Employee recruitment and retention is started at an early stage: Training and further education can be completed at the in-house welding center and, after successful completion, skilled workers are regularly taken on. Apprentices are given a lot of responsibility in the company right from the start, e.g. in projects such as the renovation of customer service vehicles or the organization of the “Rooftop Party” on the top floor of the neighboring parking lot.

As part of the company's own talent management process, care is taken to retain and promote long-serving employees within the company and to select them for management positions based on their recognized strengths. This is done jointly and in close consultation with line managers and leads to the definition of individual targets and measures.

The final tour of the extensive factory premises included a visit to the production halls, where all stages of the manufacturing process are carried out, from material delivery, cutting, mechanical processing, welding assembly, sandblasting and painting through to final assembly. Here it became clear how complex the production process is and how demanding the handling of aluminum is. This is particularly true in view of the fact that, due to customer-specific requirements, adjustments have to be made to every bridge that leaves the factory halls.

We would like to thank all those responsible at GDELS for the exciting morning and the insights into a globally active company in the defense industry.